UNHRC to open Dhaka office

The United Nations Human Rights Council will establish an office in Dhaka soon, Social Welfare Adviser Sharmeen S Murshid has said.
The adviser revealed the information after a delegation of the UN Human Rights Council met her at a hotel in the capital yesterday afternoon, reports UNB.
“It is a very important decision. The interim government agreed on the establishment of the UN human rights office in Dhaka. Its presence here will strengthen our position on human rights,” she said.
The establishment of the human rights office will enable direct investigation into areas of human rights violations, Sharmeen added.
The revelation came on the first day of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk’s two-day visit to Bangladesh.  
After a meeting with Law Adviser Asif Nazrul at the Secretariat, Turk said the UN Human Rights Office wanted Bangladesh to revoke the death sentence.
In reply, Asif said the interim government saw no scope to do it now. “The Penal Code has provisions for the death sentence. There is no scope for amending it all of a sudden,” Nazrul told reporters after the meeting.
During the meeting, Turk spoke about establishing the rule of law and human rights, which are closely interlinked, and also ensuring human rights in all the initiatives of ongoing reforms.
Turk told the media that he asked for Bangladesh’s human rights commission to be strengthened to uphold the rights.
The UN Fact-Finding Mission was giving due importance to human rights violations during the July-August mass uprising, he said and added the UN Headquarters was overseeing the entire matter.
A UN Fact-Finding Mission has been working since mid-September to probe the human rights violations between July 1 and August 15.
More than 1,695 murder cases, including at least 75 against high profile politicians and businesspersons linked to the Awami League, were filed after the fall of the regime.
Many of the cases were also filed under the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) Act which has provisions for the death sentence.
Turk wanted to know more about the ICT Act, said Nazrul. The UN rights boss asked for the draft of the amendments to the ICT Act, which the government will provide.
Nazrul said the UN calls for revoking the death sentence worldwide, but only a few countries have annulled this.
“There is no question of abolishing the death sentence in connection with the trial of the fascist government that killed thousands of students,” the adviser said.
Those accused in the cases under the ICT Act will be provided with all legal rights to defend themselves, he said.
Another priority that the UN rights chief has is an independent judiciary.
“We said we have started reforms to the judiciary. Turk has expressed satisfaction about the reform initiatives,” Nazrul said.
The adviser said the government may take forensic or technical support from the UN for justice. “There will be no injustice as was the case in the past.”
Asked if the Awami League would be able to contest in the next election, Nazrul said the political party killed and maimed thousands of people during its rule and its leader Sheikh Hasina, while abroad, described the protesters as terrorists.
“Just imagine, even after carrying out this mass killing, she is issuing threats. She calls our student leaders ‘teen gangs’ while she herself is accused of mass killing. It is for the people to decide whether this party should have political rights or not.”
After the meeting with Turk, Home Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury told the media that the UN official asked for the interim government’s cooperation to promote human rights issues.
He said the interim government would work as per the recommendations of the UN Fact-Finding Mission report.
Turk also stressed protection of the victims and witnesses. Jahangir said the government will ensure it.
The UN official lauded Bangladesh’s UN peacekeepers but also wanted the country to screen them before sending them to the missions.
Turk also met Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman, heads of several reform commissions, civil society groups, students of Dhaka University, officials of UN agencies, and members of diplomatic missions here.